AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 135

Mr. CLarkE. It would be distributed among all the producers of
that commodity.

% Mr. BLepsor. Yes. I think that is absolutely fair and just.
* Mr. CLARKE. Does that encourage or discourage cooperatives.
in its ultimate answer?

Mr. BLeEpsok. I would not say it discouraged cooperatives or
encouraged them. I am up here with the proposition I have here.

Mr. CrarRkE. You wouldn’t. certainly, say it encouraced co-
operatives?

Mr. BrLepsok. I didn’t say it discouraged them or encouraged
them. I am looking to the features of the bill here, where vou Say
you are going to encourage cooperative marketing.

Mr. ANprRESEN. If the equalization fee were applied, the man out-
side the cooperative would have the same benefit as the man in the
cooperative.

Mr. BLEDSOE. So far as marketing the actual aommodity. If the
cooperative association renders equal service to other distributors,
then the grower could either sell his products through the regular
channels of trade, or if the cooperative association offered equal
opportunities, he would come into the cooperative.

Mr. ANDRESEN. If there were equal facilities——

Mr. BLEDSOE. Insurance facilities and finance facilities.

Mr. ANDrRESEN. The insurance facilities are not in the bill as vet.

Mr. BLEDSOE. That is what I am up here for.

Mr. ANDRESEN. But as long as the noncooperator would have
equal facilities outside of the cooperative organization, there cer-
tainly would not be any inducement for him to join the cooperative
organization, or stay in.

Mr. BLepsoE. That is the reason I am here, to give him the
facilities.

Mr. ANDRESEYN

Mr. BLEDsor

Mr, [anv
sion?

Mr. BLEpsok. That is the idea, and make your cooperative larger,
function to the benefit of the grower, and help carry the harvest sur-
plus as well as the annual surplus. There are always two surpluses
we have to contend with, the harvest surplus as well as the annual.

Mr. Menges. I was not here when you made your statement.
This insurance proposition is to be conducted by “ne Government or
by private corporations?

Mr. BLEpsor. By the Government. It is a new form of insurance.

Mr. MEexcges. I suppose you have all that in the record?

Mr. BLEDSOE. Yes, sir.

The CralrMAN. Any other questions of the gentleman?

Mr. AsweLL. Mr. Bledsoe, I have been convinced so far as cotton
is concerned that your insurance plan is the best thing that has been
presented, without question.

Mr. BLEpsoEe. Thank you.

Mr. AsweLL. And I am still wondering if it were put into oper-
ation, and it could be worked, whether that would not be sufficient
to stabilize the cotton prices. I do not see that we have had any-
thing to approach it in its value so far as cotton is concerned. and

think that insurance plan——
"ld encourage the formation of cooperatives.
"ould encourage them to come into the associs-